Calling the crinum and amarcrinum junkies....

Hey ya'll!

Crinums are my new infatuation, and I've recently acquired a few and I wonder if it's too late to plant them. Most are hardy to my zxone (or close) but the bulbs are tiny, some no bigger than a pencil. I have a GH so was just going to grow them in there this winter, but if I can get them established I'd rather

Is anyone growing menehune? And oh my gosh, have you ever seen amarine? lol

this is a bicolor amarcrinum I got this summer, the color was much deeper than you can tell, and the smell....

Hey girlie!

Now is the best time to plant crinums, they will sulk less. I think though that I would pot up the small ones to give them a better chance. They like to be crowded. You could always bury the pots?

Your Americrinum is lovely! And I love the scent....

I have quite a few crinums myself. When they are happy they are bulletproof. Even unhappy I don't seem to be able to kill them but then they don't perform as well. I have made the mistake of putting full sun crinums in too much shade and those that like shade in full sun....still working out fertilizer issues....but that's what makes it fun!

Well it's great to see you! My bulbines are soooo taking off right now, thanks so much! Since you're into African bulbs, have you ever grown nerine or amarine?

Which crinums like more shade? I see that some I've gotten can do both, and I'm trying to get the conditions right (moist for the boggier ones, planted in a raised situation for the rest)--I've tried to use some sand when amending and remember to line the holes with shredded newspaper to help with drainage

I will pot the smaller ones, the medium and bigger ones are in the ground. I got a bunch off ebay from a great vendor with beautiful hybrids...can't wait for the next couple years' blooms

edited for spelling cause I got excited to see plantnut...lol

Thanks for the amarcrinum compliment, I went crazy over those blooms, they smelled so good and the flowers did really last

This message was edited Oct 26, 2007 7:33 AM

Hi Tropicanna~

What a really nice Amarcrinum! Is it a named variety?

I have C. 'Menehune' and what a little wonder it has been. Great offsetter and the wonderful dark red of the leaves stays dark. I'll have it in a window this winter-wouldn't dare plant it out. Same with my asiaticums.

The only Crinum I have that prefers shade is C. jagus 'Rattrayii'. It has flourished without any direct sun except for dappled light under a tree, and that isn't much.

I have read that C. 'JC Harvey' does well in part shade. I have mine in close to full sun and they are loving it there. I have them in rich, mulched soil and they are kept moist. No plans to try JCH in less light, but it would be one I think would do well.

C. moorei would be another candidate for shadier locations, but because of its cycle, wouldn't do well for us here in the ground because of our cold weather cutting it back before it's ready. It's fine if you have it potted and can give it some light inside. The white-flowered moorei var. schmidtii has a different cycle and could be planted out from what I understand.

I agree with you: I would keep all small bulbs protected indoors and not planted in the ground. Small bulbs will succumb to conditions that an older established bulb can handle. With the mature bulbs, you can plant them deeper in the ground and that gives some good protection against freezing, and the larger reserves in the bulb are said to be a factor too.

I have young seedlings of C. bulbispermum that I am taking in this winter. I planted some seedlings (now @ 2 years-old) this spring and I will leave those in the ground but will mulch them a bit since they aren't deeply planted. It might be a bit soon for them, but I don't have much choice. It's a calculated risk, but there's only about 6 or seven of them. We'll see how they do...........

My older bulbispermum in the ground never lost its foliage here despite all the low 20s we had. Even the exposed foliage above the mulch stayed green! Once they are of a certain age, they are amazingly hardy!

R.

kind of like people, huh? LOL

I have a favorite Crinum Jagus var. giganteum that will bloom in full shade but I have discovered it prefers strong morning sun and protection from afternoon sun. I have been experimenting with several others. Almost all of mine are in pots this time around (I moved 3 years ago) but that will be changing as they get older...I have had good luck with Elizabeth Bosanquet in shade....such good luck that I left it at my last house, feeling too guilty to dig it up!

Many of my recent more unusual acquisitions are seeds or small bulbs from bulb societies, so it may be a long time before I know what they like.

Erin

raydio, I got the amarcrinum off ebay--they aren't the typical vareity, but I got a deep pink, a soft pink, and the bicolor, which is pictured, and that's how they were named...I could name them...lol. It was hard to capture the true color, it was really stunning. I figured Menehune is probably not hardy...but maybe I'll try one one day when it's big enough. Marcelle's crinums has a list of crinums hardy to our zone from Tony Avent...great stuff...even Queen Emma :) http://www.marcellescrinums.com/html/hardiness.html

How do you amend your clay? I hope I've done a good enough job with the ones I've planted, some were thrown in pretty slackly but in places that drain pretty well. The new holes I'm digging deeper and sometimes putting rock at the bottom, newspaper, then sand (from a crick/ditch behind the house), peat, compost etc mixed in the soil

My americanum has been in part sun/shade and bloomed well the first year despite being moved 2-3 times..lol, and the amarcrinum bloomed in a mostly sun, but some shade location. Didn't know moorei (have you seen the variegated one...drool) wouldn't do well, that's good to know, I've seen on a crinum site that they were hardy and wasn't sure. I do want to get more of the jagus types and try a maconowi. I just got a bunch of stuff so I'm really going to be looking forward to the next few years!

Erin, I hope I'm a bit hardier...lol. Haven't heard of the giant jagus so I have to look that one up...lol. I'm hoping to add more African bulbs here, they're so pretty...I can see myself digging sand out the ditch for awhile

I've seen the list of hardy cultivars from Tony, and I'm thinking of leaving 'Sangria' in the ground because of it. I am still debating taking the chance..........but it has bulbispermum in its background, so that bodes well. It just looks so darn tender, lol.

I have C. augustum, which isn't on the list, but the allied C. amabile is, so one day I may try it. Mine has a really long "trunk" so I'd have to set it quite deep, and I dread digging that hole!--and I really like seeing the tuft of leaves atop the long-necked bulb, so I don't know.........

There are a number of moorei hybrids that (due to the influence of moorei) will do well in part sun to part shade. Those would be worth trying, too.

Some of them are:
'Summer Nocturne', 'Maiden's Blush', 'White Mogul', 'HJ Elwes' and 'Mrs. James Hendry'.

I have some small potted 'Summer Nocturne' and noticed that they do appreciate being shaded in the heat of the day here. Also, the "Christopher Lily" (C. jagus var or hybrid)seems to benefit from being shaded when the dog days of August arrive.

Erin~

I had my 'Rattrayi' in pretty much full sun earlier in the summer when I first got it, but when those really hot days came, it started getting "wilty" so I moved it to the shade, where the foliage no longer went limp. Ease of relocating is one good thing about potted plants.

Tropi~

At first, years ago, I was faced with pure red clay, just like cement, and I tilled in crushed limestone and milled sphagnum peat. That worked wonders. The surface of the soil would "seal up" after a time and had to be cultivated so that watering and rain would penetrate more easily rather than just running off. But it was a good way to open up a new area.

Topping off with a good layer of compost would have helped keep the soil open, but I didn't have any at the time. I do that now and will dump out old potting soil (that isn't know to have harbored disease, etc.) on the surface and will work it in as organic matter too.

I now add composted leaves and grass clippings as generously as I can in one go, so I don't have to disturb my plants unnecessarily. It just takes so much of it to work it in as deeply as I want, so when I divide them down the road, I'll add more.

Some areas in the yard are nice sandy loam and I add compost to them as well. They all love some organic content and the moisture-holding quality really helps supply their needs in the sandy areas where the soil drains quickly.

The really strong growers, like the xherbertii hybrids, eventually grow roots down into the pure hardpan clay below and to the sides (outside the bed), so they will persist, no matter what. But I want them to *flourish*, so I do as much as I can--more blooms, more offsets, bigger plants!

Another plus to deep amendment is that when you do dig them, it's easier to dig looser soil than pounding your way through that pure red clay! And if you've dug a clump of Crinums, you know what I mean.

R.

Good info raydio, I just got summer nocturne, and it was big, so I put it out in a spot that is both well drained and wet--I hope with good mulch it will do well...what a pretty one, and I did get christopher which should be on it's way--I want vanillifolium as well and willl probably grab that one in the spring

our dog days last even longer here in hot-as-heck south Georgia, the weather JUST cooled down to tolerable and I was outside most of yesterday pruning, moving pots around, etc. The next month or so is the perfect time to get stuff in the ground for a head start in the spring.

Our recent rains might actually give me an opportunity to dig out there! My yard is a weird mix of sandy areas with clay under and pure red clay. Some is from living in the "red clay hill" region which describes a teensy strip within a couple of counties. Some is probably from when they first built the house and/or the drainage ditch and road behind it, I'm not sure what soil was originally here and what was moved around. My best gauge for what I'm getting into soil-wise is to wait for a fireant hill to appear and check the color :)

after having my americrinum bloom for the first time I fell in love and want more! I had them for 4 years with no blooms. They bloomed in a pot this year after some extra fertilizer and a bit of shade. I put them in the ground and the plants are sulking a bit, hopefully they will perk up again in time to bloom next spring....

I'm not testing the hardiness range quite as much as y'all. I'm in 8b but we're heat zone 9 so even during winter our cold weather is short-lived. A hard freeze can be followed by a week of 80 degree weather. Very confusing for both plants and people......

If you are getting into African bulbs and feeling patient you might want to check out the Pacific Bulb Society (don't let the name fool you, it's international) and possibly the International Bulb Society. I'm a member of both. The bulb, corm and seed offerings are different, Herb at the IBS gets more unusual crinums and hymenacallis but the PBX is FAR easier on the wallet and they get cool stuff too....I can only rarely convince myself to pay $35 for a bag of seeds while the PBS offerings are $2 each plus an extra couple of dollars for shipping. I now have goodness knows how many little pots with fun stuff growing....At that price I dont mind some 'hit and miss' experiments!

I keep reading that crinums prefer to be in the ground but I have only been living in this house for 3 years and my yard is definitely a work in progress. I have found it much easier to keep my favorite crinums and rain lilies in pots. One thing I realized this year was that I wasn't feeding them enough, a little compost topdressing and fertilizer midsummer really cheered them up.

Of course seeing Tony Avent's crinums cheered me, too.......I thought I was screwing up when some of mine had yellowish green leaves but his crinum beds had the same foliage color!

oh no, my leaves are green...am I doing something wrong?..lol

I looked at the PBS site and have been considering it but I so don't understand how the exchange works...saw some beautiful stuff in there, though. I thought it was you that was talking about that. Are they bulbs, seeds ...I hate ask you all these blonde questions I could probably research myself...teehee

I don't know the name of mine, but it is extremely hardy, and the bulb ain't tiny it's big as an EE, every seed it produces 3-4 good size babies.

"eyes"

the PBS is $20/year. After that you can set it up so that you get email when people post on the forum. There is a lot of bulb chat, some regarding plants I care about and some regarding plants I don't grow. I finally set up my Outlook so that anything from the forum goes straight into a special folder. (that way my DH doesn't make smartypants comments.....) The bulb/corm/seed offerings are posted on the forum. You can join the forum without joining the society but you can't get bulbs or seeds that way and trust me it will drive you crazy once you see what's available. One of the other things I really like is that Dell, the guy doing the offerings, lists who they are from so that if you have questions while growing the plant you can contact that person. Usually what is offered is fresh seed or bulblet/cormlets, some full sized bulbs or corms. They come in from all over so you never know what will be offered. If you want to order you have to email Dell direct and list the numbers of what you want. He splits things up as fairly as possible and mails them out. I don't always get every item I asked for but have been very pleased in general. I pay after the package arrives- it always has a little note with the $ amount.

I actually have my email forward copies of any actual bulb/seed exchange offerings to my work email so I don't miss out..... :)

the IBS is a bit different. You need to join to participate, each bulb or seed offering is posted/emailed seperately. Herb gets some really cool stuff but a) never says who donated it and b) it usually costs a lot! I have been very happy with anything I received but have had to budget carefully. It adds up fast. Also he must be an insomniac because many times the postings are in the middle of the night and the bulbs/seeds are gone before I wake up.

p.s.

with either society they tell you if they are offering bulbs, seeds, etc. also both Dell and Herb have been really good about answering questions.

Hopefully I will be at the point soon to give back something to both societies besides gratitude and $!!

that settles it, though, I did want to join PBS cause they really do provide a great site with tons of info, thanks so much for being informative